Load binding devices and apparatus for interconnecting two tension members and tightening them towards one another are well known, particularly in the transportation art, and are commonly utilized to bind and tie-down heavy loads onto truck beds, railroad cars and the like. Such devices, more commonly referred to as "load binders" or merely "binders", normally utilize either one of a lever mechanism, a ratcheting mechanism or a screw mechanism to draw together a pair of tension members such as a pair of short-length cables or chains. In use, the pair of cable or chains are hooked to other such cables or chains engaging the sides of a truck bed or railway car bed such that in combination, such cables/chains and the load binder can be pulled tightly over a load and thus utilized to effectively secure a load of almost any dimension to a truck or railway car bed for transportation purposes. Particularly common are load binders of the "over-center" type whereby a pivotal lever mechanism is utilized to pull an end of one such tension member towards another such that the pulled and tensioned end of one tension member is caused to rotate in an orbit about the other, so that when the orbital movement is blocked after slightly more than a 90.degree. rotation; i.e., over a dead-center position, the tensioned ends will be effectively locked by the biasing force tending to force rotation beyond 90.degree.; i.e., over the dead-center position. Examples of such over-center type load binders can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,726,507; 3,826,469; 3,842,426; 3,954,252 and 4,062,206, which are incorporated herein by reference.
While most such prior art load binders are effective for their intended uses, such as use on flat bed trucks, truck trailers, and the like, such uses not only expose the load binder to the elements, but also expose them to third parties and virtually anyone who may be tempted to tamper with the load binder, or to steal the load or even the load binder itself. Indeed, most load binders tend to be somewhat costly, so that the theft of a load binder from a truck bed, even one in use binding a load, is not particularly uncommon. In this regard, it is noted that U.S. Pat. No. 3,954,252 to Lyons, teaches an over-center type load binder in which a conventional padlock can be utilized to lock-down a tightening lever arm, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,206 to McWhorter, teaches an over-center type load binder which utilized a special keeper link within the a chain tension member which includes a keeper disk adapted to receive a special conical boss attached to the pivot handle adapted to lock the pivot handle against the chain tension member. While either of these two systems are effective, the locking mechanisms; i.e., the padlock or the keeper disk and boss, are exposed to the elements, and also exposed to tampering by anyone who may be tempted to do so.